Rescue at Sea Support

In order to prevent further unnecessary and tragic deaths at sea and to alleviate the suffering of desperate migrants embarking upon the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea, IOM is implement appropriate programming. Working together with the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG), the Libyan Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM), the Italian Coast Guard, and other relevant actors, IOM is establishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to provide assistance to migrants rescued at sea. The SOPs will include best measures to promote successful identification of those who die or go missing at sea. This can involve including questions on the missing/dead in interviews with survivors, retrieval of bodies, as well as proper management of bodies to improve the likelihood of identification. The SOPs will refer to the assistance to be provided upon disembarkation after search and rescue (SAR) operations, procedures for the safe disembarkation of migrants from smugglers’ vessels, provision of immediate assistance for men, women and children, vulnerability screenings and identification protocols, referrals to access further assistance, and other sustainable solutions.

IOM will provide capacity building support including training, infrastructure and equipment support to the Libyan Coast Guard and other stakeholders for implementation at three designated points of disembarkation around Tripoli and in the West of the country.

In addition, IOM will provide immediate direct assistance to migrants intercepted at sea which will include triage, health care, referral services, food, and non-food items. Migrants will be medically screened, registered, and classified based upon vulnerability, referred to immediate assistance if needed, and informed and educated about the Humanitarian Repatriation and Reintegration program, which would support migrants return to their countries of origin.

International Organization for Migration

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM works with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration and uphold the well-being and human rights of migrants.